As Earth Day is celebrated Sunday – many Americans may not think of the environmental contributions of modern farming practices like conservation tillage and no-till farming. No-till decreases erosion, reduces fuel use and improves water quality. In fact – thanks in part to no-till and conservation tillage practices – USDA reports soil erosion from U.S. cropland declined more than 40-percent between 1982 and 2007. The practice also allows farmers to grow more crops and feed more people than was possible when Earth Day was first originated 42 years ago.

Former Iowa State University Agronomy Professor Richard Fawcett says the use of atrazine is one reason these modern farming practices are possible. He says the reliable performance of the herbicide gave farmers the confidence they could control weeds without tillage.

Courtesy: NAFB News